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Mince pie treacle tart

By: Lola Milne

Published: 9 Nov 22
Updated: 10 Oct 24

Lola Milne’s sublime yet simple pudding is an amalgamation of treacle tart and mince pie: sticky, spicy, fruity and unashamedly festive. Enjoy warm with cold cream or brandy butter – or both, if you’re anything like us!

Lola is a food writer and stylist who loves simple, seasonal food and growing things on her allotment. She’s the author of Take One Tin and One Dish Fish (both Kyle Books).

Easy
December 2022

Test kitchen approved

Serves 12
Hands-on time 25 min, plus resting, oven time 1 hour 5 min

Lola is a food writer and stylist who loves simple, seasonal food and growing things on her allotment. She’s the author of Take One Tin and One Dish Fish (both Kyle Books).

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 504kcals
Fat: 15.4g (8.7g saturated)
Protein: 7.6g
Carbohydrates: 80.9g (51.7g sugars)
Fibre: 2.2g
Salt: 0.8g

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Ingredients

For the pastry

130g slightly salted butter, chilled
120g plain flour
135g plain spelt flour
1 medium free-range egg
2-3 tbsp cold (ideally iced) water

For the filling

1 small eating apple, grated
40g raisins
40g sultanas
50ml marsala wine
400g golden syrup
125g white bread, whizzed into breadcrumbs
Finely grated zest 1 orange
Finely grated zest 2 lemons, plus ½ tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
Good grating of nutmeg
2 medium free-range eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp double cream, plus extra to serve
Icing sugar to dust
Brandy butter to serve (optional)

Specialist kit

Deep 23cm fluted tart tin

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Method

To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flours until it resembles damp sand. Add the egg and the water then, using a butter knife, cut into the mixture until it begins to come together. Bring the dough together with your hands, working just enough to get a smooth flattened disc, then wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry and line the tart tin with baking paper. Trim off and reserve any excess (re-wrap and chill this for later). Prick the base with a fork, then line with baking paper and fill with baking beans (or uncooked rice). Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper (see Don’t Waste It) and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes until crisp and dry. Set aside and turn the oven down to 160°C fan/gas 4.
While the pastry bakes, put the apple, raisins and sultanas in a bowl and pour over the marsala. Leave to steep for 15 minutes, then mix in the golden syrup, breadcrumbs, citrus zests, lemon juice and spices. Stir in the eggs and cream plus a small pinch of flaky sea salt.

Roll out the leftover pastry and cut out some stars or other festive shapes. Tip the filling into the blind-baked pastry case, smooth the top, then decorate with the pastry shapes. Bake for 40 minutes until set. Leave to cool for around 30 minutes, then serve warm, dusted with icing sugar and with double cream and/or brandy butter alongside.

Recipe from December 2022 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 504kcals
Fat: 15.4g (8.7g saturated)
Protein: 7.6g
Carbohydrates: 80.9g (51.7g sugars)
Fibre: 2.2g
Salt: 0.8g

delicious. tips

This recipe also works with shop-bought pastry, although it won’t have the nutty flavour of the spelt. Just use a block of all-butter shortcrust pastry and start from step 2.

The baking paper you use to line the tin when blind baking the pastry can be used again and again, so instead of throwing it away keep it in a drawer for the next time you make a tart.
You can cook this tart in advance, then wrap and freeze it for up to 3 months. Defrost, unwrap then warm it gently in the oven before serving.